Janelle Scott an assistant professor of education at UC Berkeley claims there is a significant gap in the graduation rates between white and African-American males specifically in key urban districts and states around the country.

She adds that even in these days of state funding cuts, we still can make the most of education dollars and that research shows African-American boys and girls are motivated to learn, so the focus should be improving the system.

“When resources are targeted in the appropriate way we can actually support our schools and that helps everybody. We want all children to have access to high-level curriculum, to resources that are geared to giving every child a quality teacher and a quality school,” says Scott

The Schott report shows the national graduation rate for African-American male students in the 2007 to 2008 school year was 47 percent. In California, it was 54 percent.